TO THE PROBLEM OF THE «BOAR-AFRICAN SWINE PEST»

Abstract

This report provides a factual argumentation and interpretation of the ASF epizootic situation among wild boars in relation to infection control in the Russian Federation in terms of aspects that are sufficiently highlighted in the scientific literature and provided with reliable data. On the whole, the situation in the Russian Federation can be characterized as extremely contradictory. There are no signs of a correlation between the reported incidence of ASF in wild boars and their population density. The incidence of natural infection has a sporadic, outbreak, quantum character. In 2019, clearly defined chronologically and spatially, endemically stable clusters of natural infection with clear signs of natural focus in a number of regions of the Russian Federation emerged. In disadvantaged countries on the eastern border of the European Union all endemicity is consists to the incidence of wild boars in natural conditions with rare sporadic index cases in domestic pigs in a ratio of 9 to 1 and proven signs of evolution towards the chronicity of the disease and moderate virulence of the virus of the II genotype. The incidence of ASF among wild boars is universally characterized by unusually low values of focus: the number of infected per outbreak was very similar in Latvia – 1.16, Hungary – 1.4, RF – 1.5, Poland – 1.7. Measures for a widespread radical reduction of the populations of wild boars in disadvantaged and threatened areas as the only effective tactic of not only against epidemtic but also preventive activities show their effectiveness.